Feature
A First-Week Tick Card for a New Daily Capsule Pack
A simple seven-day card for sole traders to fill in when a supplement parcel arrives: what was in the box, when you took it, and what to raise.
A parcel lands between jobs, goes on the van seat or the office desk, and a week later you can't say whether you started. A one-page card fixes that. It takes a few minutes to set up and a few seconds a day to fill in.
Print it, or paste it into a phone note you already open every day. The layout below is built for a daily capsule pack, but it works for any form.
The card header (fill in on arrival day)
Copy these lines to the top of your note:
- Product name as on the label:
- Form (capsules, powder, gummies, liquid):
- Serving instructions as printed:
- Date the parcel arrived:
- Date I started:
- Review date:
- Order confirmation saved? (yes/no):
Leave the review date blank until you've picked one. Choose it on day one, though, rather than "sometime".
Step one: match the box to the order
Before you take anything, open the product page on your phone and hold the pack next to it. Tick each item once it agrees:
- Product name is the exact item I ordered
- Main ingredient on the label matches the page
- Form matches (capsules are capsules, not powder)
- Serving instructions are legible and written on the card
- Anything the page highlighted also appears on the label
Photograph the label and the screen together. If something doesn't line up, you already have the evidence to send to the seller, and you've caught it before the first dose.
Step two: the safety line
Many product pages carry a note about medication. Read the one on yours before the first dose. If you take prescribed medication, have a health condition or are unsure about anything, ask a pharmacist or your GP before starting. Add a line to the card: "Checked with pharmacist/GP: yes / not needed / still to do." Don't begin until that line has an answer.
For a step-by-step version of these checks, there is a first-week checklist for any new supplement that covers the same ground in more detail.
Step three: the seven-day grid
Draw or paste this under the header:
| Day | Taken? | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |||
| 2 | |||
| 3 | |||
| 4 | |||
| 5 | |||
| 6 | |||
| 7 |
Keep the notes column short. "Took with lunch", "forgot, on site all day" and "label says with food, did that" are all useful. You're building a record, not a diary.
Tie the daily tick to something that already happens, such as the first brew, locking the van or sitting down for the morning's invoices. A habit attached to an existing routine survives a busy week better than one that depends on remembering.
Step four: things to raise
Add a small section at the bottom headed "To raise". Use it for anything that doesn't sit right, split into two kinds:
- For the seller: a label that didn't match the page, a damaged seal, a missing leaflet, or unclear serving instructions. Attach your photos.
- For a pharmacist or GP: anything you notice after starting that concerns you, or any question about how the product fits with medication or a health condition. Don't wait for the review date for this. Stop and ask.
Write each item the moment you think of it. Otherwise it vanishes into the next quote.
Step five: the review
On the review date, read the card from top to bottom. You'll see how many days you actually took it, what you noticed, and what is still outstanding. Then decide whether to carry on, change how you're taking it, or stop.
If the seller offers a window for deciding whether the product suits you, check the seller's own terms rather than going from memory. Your start date and order confirmation will make that quick.
Keep it with your kit
File the card with the order confirmation, or keep it in the same folder as your supplier receipts. Next time a pack arrives, copy the blank card and start again. Once the routine is set up, a new product costs you a few minutes of admin and nothing more.